10th April 2024
Prayer
So we hail our God, Eternal God, Ras Tafari, hear us and help us and cause Thy face to shine upon us, Thy children.
This week I thought we would do something a bit different. I have been doing a lot of reading and research the last few weeks, collecting ideas and material for your service letter and I noticed something. For myself, I follow the St Aiden & St Hilda church liturgy and the one from the Northumbrian community. These divide prayers up throughout the day, with prayers said in the morning, noon, early evening and night. I noticed that there are a lot of Rastafari prayers that were specifically for certain times of the day too and so I thought that it would be good to put together a short prayer and reading time for you to follow at certain times of the day, so I will start with morning…
“Good Morning Jah, in the name of His Imperial Majesty, Holy Emanuel I, King Selassie I. I and I give thanks for this blessed day. May all the land be touched by your presence beauty and power. Keep I and I protected from Babylon tricks and adversity. Give I and I strength to survive another Day in Babylon. Bless I and I that I may maintain a positive loving caring and sharing spirit as I serve you Jah on this day. Keep Satan and his workers out of I and I path as I trod the earth today. In the name of King Selassie I, Holy Emanuel I. Rastafari.” (From the website of Daudimitch)
Bible Verses
Lamentations 3:21-26
21 This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.
22 It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
23 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
24 The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.
25 The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.
26 It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.
1 Chronicles 8:8-36
8 Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done. 9 Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. 10 Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. 11 Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always. 12 Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced, 13 you his servants, the descendants of Israel, his chosen ones, the children of Jacob. 14 He is the Lord our God; his judgments are in all the earth. 15 He remembers his covenant forever, the promise he made, for a thousand generations, 16 the covenant he made with Abraham, the oath he swore to Isaac.…23 Sing to the Lord, all the earth; proclaim his salvation day after day. 24 Declare his glory among the nations, his marvellous deeds among all peoples. 25 For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods. 26 For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the Lord made the heavens. 27 Splendour and majesty are before him; strength and joy are in his dwelling place. 28 Ascribe to the Lord, all you families of nations, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. 29 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering and come before him. Worship the Lord in the splendour of his holiness. 30 Tremble before him, all the earth! The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved. 31 Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let them say among the nations, “The Lord reigns!” 32 Let the sea resound, and all that is in it; let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them! 33 Let the trees of the forest sing, let them sing for joy before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth. 34 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. 35 Cry out, “Save us, God our Saviour; gather us and deliver us from the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name, and glory in your praise.” 36 Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Then all the people said “Amen” and “Praise the Lord.”
The Wise Words of Marcus Garvey.
The Wise Words of His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie I
(From His Imperial Majesty’s Address to the United Nations, 1963)
We must look, first, to Almighty God, Who has raised man above the animals and endowed him with intelligence and reason. We must put our faith in Him, that He will not desert us or permit us to destroy humanity which He created in His image.
And we must look into ourselves, into the depth of our souls. We must become something we have never been and for which our education and experience and environment have ill-prepared us. We must become bigger than we have been: more courageous, greater in spirit, larger in outlook. We must become members of a new race, overcoming petty prejudice, owing our ultimate allegiance not to nations but to our fellow men within the human community.
Lastly, I have an extract from the book ‘Rastafari; Black People’s Livity Bible’, by “Empress”. It’s the next book on my list to buy because it seems like a really good resource for a good and honourable Rastafari way of life. This is what it says…
“Prayer
As Rasta we pray, when we get the feeling to pray. But a deep Rasta man or woman will pray about 5 times daily.
* In the Morning Upon waking up
* In the afternoon before or after lunch
* In the evening before preparing dinner
* In the Night before going to bed
* In the evening to give thanks.”
This, then, is the morning prayer “Empress” suggests…
Rastafari Morning Prayer (Guidance and Protection)
Oh JAH, you see and you know all things.
Bless me that I may have a pleasant and productive day in your honour.
JAH you see and you know all things.
Guide me and protect me.
Watch over me as I go about my duties of this day.
In JAH Ras Tafari name I give my thanks and praises unto you.
Amen Amen Amen.
Lockdown Letters 